Raspberry
by BuzzCat
Summary: Darcy has a super secret resulting from a drunken tumble with the First Avenger. And, as with all super secrets, it doesn't stay super secret for long.


Darcy sat on the bath tub edge, head in her hands and resolutely not staring at the stick beside her. _One line, man,_ she thought, _all I need is the one line. No more._ She and Steve had had one night together. One fucking night, and now she was sitting here praying to any god of any religion for that pregnancy test to test negative. They'd just saved New York from aliens and it had been a stupid decision. Thor had cracked open some kind of Asgardian beer and that was all Darcy could clearly remember. All Darcy knew was that the next morning she woke up with a pounding hangover, naked, in Captain America's bed. He hadn't been in much better shape. She had mumbled something about never mentioning this again and Steve had said something she assumed was agreement. It must have been agreement, because they hadn't talked once since that night. That was two months ago. It wouldn't have been so bad if Darcy could at least remember the sex. The one time she got to have sex with Steve Rogers, aka Captain America and America's Most Eligible Bachelor, and it had to happen when she was amnesia-inducing drunk. There was no way she could hope for a refrsher course, not with how they got on since then. Once or twice Steve had walked into a room without realizing Darcy was there. As soon as he saw her, he immediately made some shitty excuse to leave. Really, it was ridiculous. They were grown-ups, able to hold a conversation. Darcy snorted at that. If they were such grown-ups, they would have had this conversation weeks ago.

Darcy checked her watch. Her three minutes were up. With a deep sigh, Darcy sat up and slowly glanced over at the pregnancy test. She did a double-take, seizing it—careful not to touch the business end of it—and glaring at it. Two lines. Two strong lines. Not even a shadow of a doubt there. Fuck. Darcy threw it across the floor and it skittered behind the toilet. This was not going to be easy.

Darcy hadn't paid much attention in history class, but she knew enough to know that having kids out of wedlock wasn't something they were big on back in the day. Hell, they'd still gotten pretty pissed about sex out of marriage. Steve had adjusted well to the new times, but premarital pregnancy wasn't really something you discussed around dinner. There was no way for Darcy to anticipate his reaction.

_Of course, he doesn't have to have news to react to,_ whispered a part of Darcy that sounded suspiciously like her mother. She didn't like it, but that voice had a point. She hadn't wanted a kid. She still wasn't sure that she did. It wouldn't take much to make this all go away. Phone call, drive, couple hours tops. It would be over before anyone knew. No awkward questions about the father or the fact she hadn't had a steady boyfriend in over two years. Just... poof. All gone. It was a thought. Darcy stood, running a hand through her hair. This was not what she wanted to think about today. It was Bruce's birthday and the Avengers and friends were going out for drinks. On the chance she decided to keep her thing, Darcy already knew she'd be volunteering for designated driver. She walked out of the bathroom, trying to make it seem like everything was completely normal, like some potentially earth-shattering news had not just been dropped on her. In her attempt to make everything seem normal, Darcy completely forgot to pick up the pregnancy test gathering dust behind the toilet.

"But Darcy!" whined Tony. Everyone had been putting their coats on to leave for what was sure to be a good party when Darcy had realized they wouldn't need a designated driver when they had SHIELD-appointed cars. There was no good excuse for her to go and not drink, at least no excuse that would pass muster on the Stark Truth-Telling scale. She had come downstairs to say that she was feeking sick and wouldn't be joining them. Tony continued to whine, "Who's going to convince Red White and Spangled to drink his super-booze?"

"I don't know," said Darcy, "but it's not going to be me."

"But what about our drinking contest? It's tradition!"

"It wouldn't be fair if I already felt sick, and I'd hate to bruise your ego when I still kicked your ass." said Darcy with a grin. Tony pouted but still followed the rest of the team out to the waiting escort car. Soon it was just Steve left with her. He shuffled his feet, not quite meeting Darcy's eye,

"I'll stay." he said. Darcy shook her head slightly more vehemently than necessary. Of course his save-the-damsel complex would rear its head when Darcy really needed to be alone,

"It's fine, really. I'm just going to watch old FRIENDS reruns anyway."

"You shouldn't be left on your own."

"I think I'll manage. Have for twenty-four years, after all." she said, trying for a smile but Darcy was pretty sure it came out a grimace. Steve shuffled his feet a little more,

"I'd like to stay, if you'll let me." he said. Darcy was about to dismiss him, but stopped. When it came down to it, she really didn't know Captain America: Man Behind the Shield very well, if at all. Well, she had a vague memory of how amazing his ass was, but that didn't really count. It would at least be nice to figure out what aspect of him her drunk self had decided was worth banging that night,

"Sure." Darcy already regretted this.

In the end, it didn't turn out too bad. Steve made dinner for her-buttered boodles, which Darcy suspected was the one thing he knew how to make-and didn't complain when they watched four episodes of FRIENDS in a row. They'd originally sat with Steve in his spot on one side of the couch and Darcy in her spot on the other side, but they had somehow migrated to Darcy laying across the length of the couch, feet pillowed in Captain America's lap. He hadn't said anything about her socks being decorated in various colored cats, but Darcy had caught the twitch of a smile when he'd first become her footrest. It was freakishly relaxing, laying like this, despite the heavy weight in her mind. By the seventh episode, Darcy was asleep.

Darcy awoke the next morning to the sound of her phone playing R2D2 sounds from her bedside table. She scowled blearily at it before answering,

"What is it, JARVIS?"

"I saw fit to warn you that Mr. Stark is coming to see you. He seems slightly more agitated than usual for this time of the morning. Also, the captain left early this morning."

"Huh. Thanks JARVIS."

"You're welcome, Miss Lewis." The call ended and Darcy slowly stretched beneath the covers. Covers. She suddenly remembered the previous night. Shit. He'd stayed home with her and she'd fallen asleep literally on him. _Stellar move, Darce, _she thought. While the thought of him carrying upatairs was more than a little hot, Darcy still didn't think it was the best way to make an impression on the man whose child you were accidentally carrying. As Darcy got out of bed, she was happy to see her t-shirt and jeans from the previous night were still on her. She wasn't sure how she'd feel if Steve had put her pajamas on her. Probably creeped out. Just then, there was a knock on her door,

"Come in!" she shouted, knowing it was Tony. Sure enough, the door flew open and the man himself marched straight up to Darcy and said,

"The hell is this?" He pulled the positive pregnancy test from his pocket. Darcy felt the color drain from her face. Of all the Avengers, Tony was her favorite and the two had become good friends over the past few months. It was just her luck that he would be the one to find that stupid stick. Apparently Darcy's loss of color removed any question about it being hers because Tony growled, "Whose the father and how should I kill him?"

Darcy crossed the room and shut the door, "You can't kill him, Tony."

"Who is it?" Damn. Darcy had really hoped to avoid this part,

"Steve." she said. Tony stared for a moment, then barked out a laugh,

"Star Spangled must be shooting blanks with all the Spandex he wears. Seriously, who?" he said, grinning just a bit. Darcy remained silent until Tony's smile disappeared, "I'll tear that patriotic bastard limb from limb." Darcy put a hand on Tony's arm,

"Easy there, big-brother-I-never-had. We were both drunk. Steve doesn't know I'm pregnant and I don't know if I'm keeping it." she said. Tony stilled,

"Wait, you mean to tell me that Captain America got drunk? And I _missed it_?"

"Hey, not my fault that you had your tongue on Pepper's tonsils all night. Besides, there wouldn't have been such a party if you hadn't had your epic little save-the-world-jet-into-space escapade." said Darcy, punching him in the arm. Surprisingly, Tony sank onto the edge of the bed,

"So how much of this is my fault for not dying?" he asked. Darcy held her fingers close together,

"_That_ much."

"Fair enough," Tony sighed, "So is this pregnancy thing good or bad?" he asked. Darcy sank onto the bed beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder. Tony put his arm around her shoulders and Darcy said,

"I dunno. I just found out about the sprog yesterday. Getting rid of it would be easier than explaining everything to everybody and telling Steve and giving birth and all the other nastiness that goes with keeping it. But..." Darcy trailed off and there was silence for a moment,

"But...?" led Tony. Darcy sighed,

"I just keep seeing Steve's face if he found out about all this. I mean, in his time this would have straight-up murder."

"Why would All-American find out? I'm assuming you wouldn't tell him." said Tony. Darcy snorted,

"He'd find out. Through some act of God, he'd find out and then I'd feel terrible."

"Well, Steve's kicked-puppy expression aside, you have to do what's best for you. Don't base life decisions on big watery eyes and 'what ifs.'"

"I know," said Darcy, snuggling into Tony's side. He pulled her closer and leaned his head on top of hers. Darcy's voice came out muffled by his shirt as she whined, "Tell me what to do."

"Hey, this is your headache, not mine. You decide." said Tony. Darcy smirked,

"Who'd have thought? Tony Stark: playboy, billionaire, and secretly a decent man. You'd be a great father."

"Hey, don't start throwing the word 'father' around. I might have to kill Steve-O just on principle. No one fucks with my sister-from-another-mister. Also, you forgot 'philanthropist.'"

"Alright, playboy/billionaire/philanthropist." said Darcy with a smile. Tony stood up and Darcy detached herself from him, standing as well. She ran a hand through her hair, "Do me a solid and keep this on the downlow?"

"Keep what on the downlow?" asked Tony, his innocence believable if not for the smug shine in his eyes. Darcy smirked,

"Good boy." Darcy needed at least a few days to figure out what to do with this. Tony patted her on the back,

"Don't go changing." he said, walking out of the room. Darcy gave a mock salute,

"10-4."

A week passed, bringing with it the arrival of the dreadfully misnamed morning sickness. On Tuesday, Darcy clocked out early and headed for a coffeeshop across town. The coffee wasn't more than caffeinated sludge, but the wifi was good and she was far from prying eyes. AC/DC blasting from her headphones, Darcy started her research. One tab was a search of the nearest abortion clinics, the other a 'where your pregnancy is at' website. At eight weeks, the offspring was about the size of a raspberry. The Internet said it was normal to be hurling like there was no fucking tomorrow and for her boobs to be getting bigger. _Fucking great, _she thought, _like I really need that_. She made a disgruntled noise and closed that tab. The closest abortion clinic was ten minutes from SHIELD headquarters. A quick call revealed they had an opening on Thursday. She could go on her lunch break and be back before Jane ran out of Pop-Tarts.

It was a little alarming, to realize she could terminate her pregnancy on her lunchbreak. It'd be easy to just beg off work for the rest of the day if she needed. Everyone at SHIELD had been telling her to see a doctor with how much she'd been throwing up at work. It would be the easiest thing for everyone concerned. Darcy wouldn't have to change her life, wouldn't have to tell Steve anything. Tony wouldn't put up a huge fight. It could get swept under the rug, the way so many other things did at SHIELD. But still, Darcy was slightly attached to her raspberry-sized embryo. Late at night, when insomnia struck, she'd begun to wonder. Would it be a boy or a girl? Smart? Funny? Would it favor its mother or father in looks? Then she'd get hung up on telling said father about her decision and Darcy would do her best to derail that train of thought as soon as possible.

Darcy shut her computer. It was time to go back to work. Her lunchbreak was almost over and Jane and Thor were coming to visit everyone tonight. They were staying at her apartment and Darcy still wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Jane. They were best friends, but there were some things Darcy needed to decide on her own. Tony was a special case, more of a brother than a friend. She could just say that she was fighting the flu and maybe Jane would leave her alone. Hell, maybe they'd go stay with someone else and Darcy could throw up whenever she wanted without explaining it to anyone. Darcy had her fingers crossed for the latter.

The rest of the day passed in a flash and before Darcy knew it, Jane and Thor rode their rainbow down to Earth. While the group of Earth-bound Avengers waited, Darcy couldn't help but notice Steve nervously shooting her glances out of the corner of her eye. She forced herself not to roll her eyes. This was incredibly childish, but she hadn't brought it up either. She wasn't exactly in a position to throw stones. All of those things flew out of her mind when the light display dissipated, leaving Jane and Thor in the middle of the roof. The first thing Darcy did was hug her friend, laughing, then drag her off away from the group as everyone else congregated around Thor,

"Jane! How's the life up in space?"

"It's not technically space, it's-"

"Yeah yeah," said Darcy, flapping her hand, "other world crap. How are you? Hot husband still hot?"

"What do you think?" asked Jane with a laugh, gesturing at Thor. Darcy looked him up and down, then clicked her tongue,

"Yep, still hot. Does he actually own any other clothes than his drapery cape and armor?"

"Of course he does! This is just his formal wear." Jane explained. Darcy shook her head,

"Would it kill him to wear a suit or something?" she said. Jane shrugged,

"I don't mind it. Anyway, how're things with you?"

"You know if it was up to you he wouldn't be wearing anything at all." said Darcy with a laugh. Jane laughed back,

"Ooh, deflection. Spill."

"Spill? What, there's nothing to spill." said Darcy, her defensive tone not helping her case. Jane folded her arms,

"Uh-huh." she drawled. Darcy sighed, glancing around. Everyone else seemed pretty preoccupied with talking to Thor and the group had moved far enough away that Darcy felt safe spilling at least part of her secret. She leaned in and muttered,

"I slept with Steve."

"WHA-" Darcy slapped a hand across Jane's mouth,

"Shush! It was a one-night stand. No one else knows." Darcy hissed. She removed her hand from Jane's mouth. Jane immediately dissolved into giggles,

"Oh God, you and the Captain...how did that even happen?"

"Remember? Thor busted out the beer or whatever, because that's the last thing I remember." said Darcy. Jane's eyes misted over, a sure sign of the recollecting of a good sexing,

"I remember that..." Darcy allowed her friend exactly two more seconds of Memory Lane before she snapped her fingers in Jane's face,

"Earth to Jane, come in Jane!" Jane shook her head to come back to the present, at least having the decency to blush,

"Sorry, it's just...hngh."

"I get it, Thor's a 10/10 in the sack. Moving on-" Darcy stopped midsentence when a putrid stench reached her nose. She clapped a hand over her mouth, making a mad dash for the bathroom and barely making it in time before she vomited her ginger ale and saltines into the toilet. Jane was at her side in a second, holding Darcy's hair back and both couldn't help but flash back to college. When Darcy finally emptied her stomach's contents, Jane handed her a glass of water,

"What was that?" she asked. Darcy rinsed her mouth out and took a drink before she replied,

"Dunno. Must have been Thai takeout. I always wondered when they'd catch up with me," Darcy paused to hurl again. Someone knocked on the doorframe and Darcy looked up to see Steve. _Great, fucking great,_ she thought. He looked as uncomfortable as her,

"Are you okay? You ran down here pretty fast."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Mild food poisoning." said Darcy. Steve nodded and made a quick exit. Jane smiled,

"You guys really are awkward." she said as she handed Darcy another glass of water. Darcy took it gratefully,

"Tell me about it." When she had again rinsed her mouth, she said, "I'm gonna be like this all night. You and Thunderbolt might want to book a hotel or something."

"That might be a good idea, if I wasn't afraid of getting swarmed in the streets. This is Thor we're talking about. Please, can we stay with you?"

"Sure," said Darcy. There went that plan. She yawned, "I'm gonna head home. Sorry I can't come out with you guys. Spare key is where it was last time; just let yourself in. Don't fuck on my couch."

"Kitchen is fair game?" asked Jane with a smile. Darcy rolled her eyes,

"You're disgusting."

"I know. Feel better."

"Will do." said Darcy. She went home and curled up with a cup of peppermint tea and crap television, falling asleep half way through the Late Late Show.

The next morning, Darcy barely had time to register the sunrise before she bolted up and ran for the bathroom. There wasn't much to throw up besides bile, but that came up in barrels,

"Fucking morning sickness. I blame the super serum, this shit lasts all day." she said to herself, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. Darcy was too wrapped up in waking up to register the heavy footfalls that passed her open bathroom door. Thor frowned as he heard Darcy's words. He hurried back to the living room where Jane was just waking up. He sat down and asked,

"Is Darcy with child?"

"Hm?" groaned a sleepy Jane.

"I am glad for her. She will make a fine mother. She has good birthing hips and-"

"What?" asked Jane, finally realizing that she was hearing actual words and not discombobulated sounds,

"Darcy is with child."

"No she isn't." said Jane, rolling over beneath the blanket. Thor shook his head,

"She was vomiting and cursing morning sickness and a super serum."

Jane sat straight up. She stopped, did the math, and did it again. It was possible, even probable. Asgardian mead increased fertility in humans.

"Holy shit." Jane whispered. She looked at Thor, "Steve is the father." Thor's gaze clouded,

"I was not aware he and Darcy were courting."

"They aren't."

"HE DARED DISHONOR HER! HE WILL PAY FOR SUCH A MISTAKE!" Thor thundered. Before Jane could grab him, Thor had grabbed Mjolnir and flown out the window. Darcy stood in the hallway, rubbing her eyes,

"What's with all the shouting?" Jane whirled to face her friend,

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"About what?"

"Carrying Captain America's baby!" shouted Jane. What little color Darcy had drained,

"How do you know?"

"Thor heard you whining about morning sickness and super serum."

"THOR knows about this?" shrieked Darcy. Jane nodded and Darcy yelled, "Where'd he go?"

"To castrate Steve, probably."

"Shit." swore Darcy. She grabbed her purse and ran out the door, Jane hot on her heels,

"What's the problem?"

"Steve doesn't know!" shouted Darcy over her shoulder. Jane swore under her breath and hopped in the taxi with Darcy. As the cabby drove to the drop point to access the Avengers Tower, Darcy pulled out her phone,

"JARVIS? Is Thor there yet?"

"He just arrived, madame, and he is not in a good mood."

"Shit. Lock Steve in a room without Thor and delay Thor as much as possible. Our great god of thunder is going to tear Cap limb from limb."

"I will do my best, miss."

"Thanks. I'll be there soon." she hung up and pulled her lip between her teeth, worrying it until she tasted blood. Jane was only silent a moment longer before she burst out,

"Why didn't you tell Steve?"

"Because I didn't know if I wanted it." explained Darcy, a bit of shame creeping into her voice. Jane had always been a little old-fashioned about this, another reason Darcy hadn't been over the moon about telling her friend. Jane nodded, quiet as she mulled it over before saying,

"He has a right to know."

"I know. It's just... I didn't want to have to expain abortion, just in case that was on the long list of Thing Steve Doesn't Understand. Besides, can you imagine his expression if that was what I chose?" Darcy needed Jane to understand this, to tell her she had good reason for not telling him. Tears were budding in Darcy's eyes. She had been so careful about not telling anyone and this whole thing was about to blow up in her face. Jane put an arm around her shoulders and kissed Darcy's forehead,

"It'll be okay." Darcy clung to that thought as they made their way to the Avengers Tower.

As soon as they arrived, Darcy ran to the building, swiping her card and pulling on the handle. The door remained locked.

"JARVIS! Let me in!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," said the AI regretfully, "I contained Thor in the lobby and he is pitching a tantrum of astronomical proportions. It could be harmful." Darcy winced. JARVIS was used to Tony's tantrums and if he said Thor's tantrum was astronomical, it was one step short of a natural disaster.

"Fine. Is there another way to wherever Steve is?"

"Mr. Rogers is on the second floor in the room by the fire escape. I locked him there."

"Great. Thanks buddy. Just hold Thor off a little longer." She and Jane ran around the building, swiping their card at the fire escape entrance (SHIELD had walls even around the fire escape). As they ran upstairs, Jane hissed to Darcy,

"He's going to want to know what's going on."

"I'll come up with something." said Darcy, trying not to wince. Running and pregnancy boobs didn't mix well. Darcy swiped her card at the door and burst through. Steve was on the other side of the room, pacing. He looked up when he saw Darcy. His hand was flexing and Darcy knew he was missing the familiar weight of the shield,

"Darcy, what's going on?" Apparently their awkward avoidance was put on hold in the face of life-threatening situations. There was a worryingly large BOOM! from the floor beneath them and Darcy jumped.

"I'll go calm him down." said Jane, quietly slipping out of the room. Darcy nodded. Steve still looked incredibly confused, brow furrowed and muscles tensed for fight or flight. Darcy took a deep breath,

"Thor's downstairs and he may or may not be intent upon beating you to a bloody pulp."

"Why?" asked Steve. The tense set of his shoulders relaxed. Darcy waved her hand, trying to play it off casually,

"He thinks you dishonored me. Heard about...us." she explained. Steve's ears turned red as he shuffled his feet,

"Oh. I hadn't realized you told him."

"I didn't. He heard me bitching." said Darcy. Steve's eyes bugged a bit and Darcy thought back over what she said. Her eyes widened and Darcy's hand flew up, as if to stop Steve's train of thought, "Not like that! It was something else."

"What?" he asked. Darcy panicked. This was it. _Play it cool, Darce_.

"Morning sickness." she muttered.

Steve felt the floor of his world drop out. _Morning sickness... _Even he knew what that was. Still,

"Are you...?"

"Up the duff? Preggo with eggo? Bun in the oven? Yep." One of her hands went down to her belly. As much as she tried to infuse levity into the situation, this was no laughing matter. Darcy still didn't know if she wanted to keep the baby, but that decision wasn't entirely hers to make anymore, and that scared her. It scared the crap out of her. Meanwhile, Steve's super brain was moving at super miles a minute. How far was she? Was it healthy? Was it a boy or a girl? Would the super serum affect anything? Did they have to get married now? He knew the world had changed, but Steve didn't know how much. Darcy interpreted his silence for shock and shrugged, still trying to play it casual,

"I'm still not sure if I'm going to keep it so hey, maybe we won't have anything to worry about at all. You might be off the hook there, cap." This was clearly the wrong thing to say. Steve came back from wherever his mind was, looked at Darcy, and there it was. The kicked puppy face in all its glory. Somehow, seeing it for real made it worse. Steve's eyes and voice were hollow,

"'Off the hook?'" The hollow was replaced with anger in a flash, "Do you think so little of me? You think I _want_ to be off the hook? How long have you known about this, anyway?" Steve's tirade made Darcy breathe a sigh of relief. She didn't know what to do with sad Steve. Anger was a good thing. Anger was familiar. She could do anger. Darcy's hands went to her hips,

"I've known over a week and I didn't tell you because you seemed pretty into the idea of pretending you didn't know me!"

"You suggested we forget the whole tning!" They were both shouting now.

"I only suggested that because falling into bed with you was a drunken mistake and if I could go back and redo it, I don't know that I would!"

"I hope that you wouldn't because then I wouldn't to deal with you!"

"Well it's good to know where you stand there, Daddy-o," drawled Darcy, "Fuck you. I wish they never would've thawed you out!"

"So do I!" shouted Steve. Darcy stepped out onto the fire escape and slammed the door behind her. Only when she walked up the stairs to her unused-but-still-designated-hers bedroom and shut the door behind her did Darcy scream her frustration. JARVIS immediately commented,

"Ma'am, you blood pressure is far above a healthy level for the baby. Please try to calm down."

"Fuck you too JARVIS."

"There is a cup of chamomile tea ready when you want it." Darcy scowled into the air before huffing in exasperation and crossing over to her kitchenette and picking up the tea. It wasn't as terrible as she expected. She would have happily killed for a cup of coffee, but that was the second thing pregnancy sites warned against. Darcy probably would have a bit of Irish courage in it too, which was the first thing the sites absolutely banned. So slightly-terrible tea it was. Now that she was done screaming, the tears were coming that she had worked so hard to suppress when Steve was around.

Steve didn't want their baby. He wished they'd never been together. It was one thing for Darcy to be reluctant; her home life hadn't exactly been perfect and that had largely made up mind her about not having kids, at least until now. But Steve Rogers, a la Captain America, was a natural with kids. She'd seen him do charity events at hospitals, giving each kid his full attention and smiling with them. He loved kids. Not his, though. _No_, she thought, _he'd have loved his kids. Not mine._ After their conversation and shouting match, Steve had given up all rights to claiming this kid. If he regretted everything they'd done, Darcy could quit giving a rat's ass about his opinion. Deep down, a part of Darcy was relieved. The choice was back in her hands, no one else's. She called out,

"JARVIS?"

"Miss Lewis?"

"Can you call the women's clinic on Third and make an appointment with their Thursday opening?" It was chicken shit of her, but Darcy knew she could never make the call on her own. The AI replied,

"Are you sure, Miss Lewis?"

"Just make the appointment." said Darcy, her voice thick.

"Very well." Just like that, she had a set day and time that she wouldn't be pregnant.

Thursday arrived faster than Darcy thought. She hadn't seen hide or hair of Steve since their fight. Jane had asked what happened and Darcy explained everything. When she mentioned her appointment, Jane said, "Whatever you think is best." And left it at that. Somehow she had managed to convince Thor that he had made a mistake about Darcy being pregnant, which Darcy could never thank Jane enough for. The absolute last thing she needed was Thor shouting for the world to hear about the pregnancy. It was a lucky thing no one else had been in the Avengers tower the day Thor was barricaded in the lobby.

At breakfast on Thursday, Thor commented,

"Darcy, you appear pale. Are you ill?" Darcy had jumped at his words,

"Yeah, I am feeling a little under the weather. Might have to go home for the day. You know, actual home. Not Avengers Tower."

"That is a good strategy. Feel better." said Thor, nodding sagely. That had almost made her crack a smile, before she saw Jane's pitying look out of the corner of her eye. Darcy left and went straight to the clinic, just to see if they could get her in earlier than her lunch. The secretary was kind, a rare thing, and explained that someone had just called to cancel and Darcy could go in next. The wait was about five minutes. Darcy sat down, slightly shocked. Five minutes and she wouldn't be pregnant anymore. She could drink coffee, wine, liquor. She could stay up late or eat two donuts for breakfast without feeling guilty about the lack of nutrition or sleep. Her life would be back to normal. So why did she feel like there was a rock of despair rolling around in her?

Five minutes went by in a flash and before she knew it, they were calling 'Lewis, Darcy' back for her appointment. Darcy stood on shaky legs and followed the nurse down a short hall, stepping into an exam room and being told to wait, someone would be with her shortly. Darcy waited. And waited. She was waiting almost an hour before she decided they must have forgotten about her.

Forgotten. That was kind of what got her here. Forgotten condom, forgotten manners, forgotten in time. Would this baby be forgotten? The white impersonal sterility of the office wouldn't let Darcy lie to herself. After this, her life would never be normal. She couldn't forget the week she had known she was pregnant, no matter how much time passed. She couldn't forget the happiness she felt over it, no matter how deep down it was buried beneath her indifferent facade. Darcy stood up and gathered her coat and bag and walked out of the room. She thanked the receptionist for her help, and left.

Only to run headlong into an out-of-breath Steve Rogers.

It was only through his reflexes that Darcy ended up clutched to his chest and not bouncing down to the floor. He held her by the shoulders, trying not to hurt her but his grip was still tight,

"I'm so sorry I said terrible things. I didn't mean it I was just-"

"I know." said Darcy quietly. Steve's anxious demeanor faded, to be replaced with a cool, uncaring expression. The hollow was back.

"Did you already do it?" He sounded so cold, so hard. It hurt to know that she had brought him to this. Darcy shook her head, tears falling as she sniffled, and wrapped her arms tight around her. It had already been a stressful day,

"I couldn't. I understand if you don't want to be involved-" Steve pulled Darcy flush to him, his head on top of hers. He was shaking, just the tiniest bit, and Darcy realized he was crying. His arms wrapped around her back,

"Oh thank God. Thank God..." he repeated the words over and soon Darcy was crying into his shoulder. People passing on the street didn't give them a second glance and Darcy was grateful for it. At last Steve pulled back, a hand making its way from her waist to thread itself through her hair. He looked down at Darcy, teartracks still on his face, "I want to be involved. Not off the hook. Please, if you'll let me, I want to... be there."

"I dunno, I think telling Captain America 'no' might take more willpower than I posess." said Darcy with a watery smile. Steve smiled back,

"And what about Steve Rogers, 90-pound extraordinaire?"

"Well we all know how effective your damn puppy eyes are." Darcy stepped up on her tiptoes and kissed him. It was nice. They were a family. Her, Steve, and their little raspberry.


End file.
